Ag Symposium - Thursday, February 21, 2019

Not so long ago, families operated relatively small farms, and a farm of many hundreds of acres was considered a large operation. Today, an ag producer has to be much larger as the economies of scale dictate his or her standard of living; it’s not uncommon to encounter farmers working thousands of acres. The level of sophistication to keep pace has escalated dramatically.

But farming like this also demands smarts. Lots of smarts. Today’s producer is an economist, a broker, a banker, a transportation company and a very, very busy professional. Staying on top of the latest trends and innovations will ensure that he or she is able to keep pace with the rapid change facing the life of the 21st century farmer. At one time, attending conferences and seminars was viewed as a luxury or a nice to-do kind of thing. Not anymore. Professional development is the only way a farmer can keep a finger on the pulse of this dynamic industry and not neglect their business.

South Central College, the most respected name in Agricultural education in southern Minnesota, is embarking on a program to address the needs of the modern ag producer. Taking their cues from other top-flight national conferences, SCC will be hosting its tenth annual Agricultural Symposium on Thursday, February 21, 2019

Titled “New Tools for New Rules”, the conference will address highly relevant topics facing the modern producer.

And unlike other professional development seminars where the event’s profits go to the promoter, all net proceeds from New Tools will benefit student scholarships and agricultural programs at South Central College as well as the college’s non-profit Foundation. This will provide resources for ag-related scholarships, purchase state-of-the-art lab and instructional equipment, and more.

Platinum Sponsor: Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council

Gold Sponsors: Christensen Farms, CHS, Compeer, Crystal Valley Coop

AGENDA

8:00 a.m. Registration/Networking/Exhibits

8:30 a.m. Welcome

8:45 a.m. Keynote Address

10:30 a.m. Break/Exhibits Open

11:00 a.m. Keynote Address

12:00 p.m. Lunch Break/Exhibits Open

1:00 Panel

2:30 p.m. Break/Exhibits Open

3:00 Keynote speaker

4:00 Conclusion of Symposium

Special Public Evening Session with Chris Koch “IF I Can”

5:00 open seating begins

5:30 General Public Keynote Address with Chris Koch

SPEAKERS

David Beurle

Chris Koch

Bret Oelke

Speaker Bios:

Chris Koch Chris Koch was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and raised in the small farming and ranching community of Nanton, Alberta. Although he was born without arms and legs, he says it was clearly established early on in his life that he would not be raised with pity or sympathy. According to Chris, “My family could have treated my disability like a total tragedy but instead chose to take it all in stride and make the best of the situation. After all, I still had a good head on my shoulders… and with that, anything is possible.” “I absolutely love sharing my story and spreading my message. My life has been a fun ride with a lot of laughs, and I make sure that my presentation reflects that. I have not let limitations or obstacles in my life stand in the way of achieving my goals and dreams, and I encourage others to do the same. Furthermore, I am constantly setting new goals for myself, and I think it’s important for everyone to always be challenging themselves as well. Simply put, if I can do the things I have done so far in my life, what is stopping anyone else from doing the same?”

David Beurle As founder and CEO of Future iQ, David is an expert in creating future planning approaches for use in regional, industry and organizational settings. He has pioneered the application of scenario planning with regions, regional industries and corporations around the world. David created the Future Game, a widely used planning and workshop tool that has been used in over 500 workshops across 10 countries. David has led global projects across 4 continents and has written and contributed to a number of foresight papers. Having worked in the field of organizational and regional economic and community planning for over 20 years, his work has won numerous awards. David has a major role in Future iQ projects as lead consultant and director of projects.